Rail anchor



Feb. 2, 1926.

H. G. WARR Filed Feb. I 9, 1925 Patented Feb. 2, 1926.

A 1,571,218 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD G. warm, or PARK RIDGE, InLINo'Is, ASSIGNOB TO THE P a mconrhmnor CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS. v

RAIL ancnon.

Application filed February 9, 1925. Serial No. 7,910.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, HAROLD G. WARR, a citizen of the United States,residing at Park Ridge, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful. Improvements in Rail Anchors, oiwhich'the following is a specification.

My invention relates to rail anchoring devices and has for its object toprovide an improved rail anchor which will grip one of the base flangesof a rail with spring pressure and abut against a cross tie so as toresist any longitudinal creeping movement of the rail.

In this connection I contemplate a one-- piece anchor having a springjaw portion adapted to grip one of the base flanges of the rail, andwith a body portion adapted to snap into engagement with the opposlteedge of the rail base, so as to prevent the jaw portion from backing offthe inclined surface of the rail base, which body portion is so formedthat the anchor device will bear against a cross-tie at a substantialdistance below the rail base so as to be suitable for use in connectionwith pole or hewed ties.

The invention has for further objects such other new and improvedconstructions as will be hereinafter described and claimed for carryinout the above stated objects and such 0t er objects as will. appear fromthe description of the embodiments shown in the drawing.

Fig. 1 is a cross section of the base portion of a railroad rail showinga rail anchor constructed in accordance with my invention appliedthereto. 7 0

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the structure in Fi 1.

Fig. 3 is a side view in elevation of the structure shown in Figs. 1 and2;

Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of the rail anchor shown in theprecedingfigure, and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified construction ofanchor.

In Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, I have shown one embodiment of my improvedrail anchor. This embodiment consists preferably of a metal bar 10, oneend of which is bent upon itself-to provide a jaw 11 adapted to bearagainst the upper surface of the base flange 12 of a rail, at one sidethereof. The said jaw 11 and the portion 13 of the bar 10 define a railbase receiving recess 14, the opening of which is normally less than thethickness of the rail base 12, whereby it is necessary to slightlydistort the jaw end of the anchor when the device is applied to itsoperative position on a rail. The inner portion 15 of'the recess 14 isso formed as to confine the engagement of the jaw portion of the anchorto points within the edge of the rail base and thereby provide aclearance between the jaw portion of the anchor and the vertical edgeof'the rail base. In order to provide the jaw portion of the anchor withsubstantial bearing surfaces, the bottom face 16 of the jaw and the topface 17 of the body are formed with fiat bearing surfaces which grip theupper and lower surfaces of the rail base flange.

The body of the anchor is curved downwardly and upwardly to provide atie abutting portion 18, which bears against a cross tie at asubstantial distance below the rail base. With such construction theanchorfis suitable for use in connection with a. pole or hewed tie, thelongitudinal edges of which are ordinarily curved as shown at 20 in Fig.3 of the drawing. The body portion of the anchor is preferably so curvedthat the extremity 21 thereof extends upward to engage the edge of therail base at a point opposite the engagement of the jaw portion of theanchor.

In order-to provide a shoulder to limit the upward movement of the end21 of they anchor, this end of the anchor is recessed as indicated at22, so that when the end snaps over the edge of the rail base, theshoulder 23 thereof will bear against the under surface of the railbase.

In applying the anchor to a. rail, the jaw portion of the anchor-isfirst hooked over one edge of the rail base in a position so that theportion 18 of the anchor will bear against the cross tie. The anchor isthen driven in the direction of its length until the end 21 of the barsnaps over the opposite which the recessindmated at 22 in the type" ofanchor shownin Fig. 4: is omitted. In this modification, the upstandingend 24 of the anchor snaps over the edge 25 of the rail base into theposition shown in Fig. 5. In

other respects the rail anchor shown in Fig. 5 may be, and preferablyis, the same in construction as that shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive,and therefore has been given the same ieference character as Fig. 4.

While I have described certain specific embodiments as my preferredconstruction, it will be obvious that my invention may be modified instructure, without departure from the spirit of my invention. I therefore contemplate all such structural changes as come within the scope ofthe appended claims.

I claim:

1. A rail anchor comprising means formed with a rail gripping portionadapted to grip the upper and lower surfaces of the base of a rail atone side of the rail, and means extending across the rail base andengaging the other edge of the rail base to hold said gripping portionin position; said last named means being bent downwardly and upwardlywith respect to said rail gripping portion, whereby said upwardly bentend portion thereof snaps into engagement with the rail base when theanchor is applied to its operative position.

2. A rail anchor comprising a bar formed at one end with a jaw portionadapted to grip the base of a rail at one side thereof, and formed toconfine its engagement to oints within the edge of the rail base, theiiar bein bent downwardly and upwardly to providb a tie abutting portionand to provide an upstanding end portion adapted to engage the edge ofthe rail base on the side of the rail opposite to that engaged by saidjaw portion.

3. A rail anchor comprising a bar formed at one end with a jaw portionadapted to bear with sprin pressure against the upper and lower surfacesof the rail base and formed to provide a clearance adjacent the edge ofsaid rail base, the body and the free end portion of the bar being bentdownwardly and upwardly, whereby said free end portion is flexeddownwardly during the application of the anchor to its operatingposition on the rail, so as to snap into engagement with the oppositeedge of the rail when the anchor is driven to its applied position.

4. A rail anchor comprising a bar formed at one end with a jaw portionprovided with flat bearing surfaces adapted to grip the upper and lowersurfaces of the rail base with spring pressure at points within theedges of the rail base, the body and the free end portion of the barbeing bent downwardly and upwardly, whereby said free end portion isflexed downwardly during the application of the anchor to a rail so asto snap into engagement with the opposite edge of the rail when saidanchor is driven to its applied position.

5. A rail anchor comprising a bar, one end of which is bent upon itselfto provide a hook-shaped jaw portion, formed to provide a clearancebetween the device and the edge of the rail base and adapted to bedriven into gripping engagement with the upper and lower surfaces of therail base, the other end of the bar being bent downwardly and upwardlyto provide a tie abutting portion, the upstanding portion of which is sodisposed with respect to the jaw portion is, flexed downwardly duringthe initial application of the anchor to a rail and to snap up intoengagement with one edge of the rail base when the anchor is drivenhome.

6. A rail anchor comprising a bar formed at one end with a jaw portionadapted to grip the base of a rail at one side thereof, the bar beingbent downwardly and upwardly to provide a tie abutting portion and toprovide an upstanding end portion adapted to engage the edge of the railbase on the side of the rail opposite to that engaged by the jawportion; the said upstandmg end of the bar being formed with a shoulderada ted to bear against the under surface of t e rail base adjacent thelast mentioned edge of the rail base.

7. A rail anchor comprising a bar formed at one end with a jaw portionadapted to grip the base of a rail at one side thereof, the bar beingbent downwardly and upwardly to provide a tie abutting portion and toprovide an upstanding end portion adapted to engage the edge of the railbase on the side of the rail opposite to that engaged by said jawortion; the said upstanding end of the )31' being formed with anabutment adapted to snap into engagement with the lower corner of therail base.

HAROLD G. \VARR

